


Shooting the breeze

by Sylphid



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gardening AU, M/M, Seriously though he is, Watari's the best at everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 17:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7471857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylphid/pseuds/Sylphid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yahaba made it a priority to visit the fields after school everyday to tend to his patch of tulips. But when a newcomer arrives and he takes a liking to him, he panics and turns to Watari for help. </p>
<p>Or,</p>
<p>Yahaba is lovestruck (and so is Kyoutani) and Watari is there to assist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shooting the breeze

**Author's Note:**

> Funny story, this kinda originated when I walked into our own garden at home and saw that our asparagus was so overgrown that it was taller than me. I thought "Wow, I'm a shit gardener," and then thought "What the hell, I should write a kyouhaba gardening au." Who knows how that chain of thought occurred. I suppose this might've been nice for the plant prompt of kyouhaba week, but I didn't even think about it then.
> 
> *shrugs
> 
> Probably not that great, but I hope you enjoy! Thanks to akishime for beta'ing!

The day Yahaba first saw him started as nothing more than a normal spring day. The azaleas and the dahlias, aspiring artists, let their artwork bloom, displaying it proudly to their sole patron, the sun. Yet, among them was another, a stranger in the gallery--a patch of dewberries, flaunting their avant-garde ideas about what flowers could be.

Here, he spotted him for the first time. He sat amidst the patch, watering it, tending to its telluric needs. He stood in stark contrast with his surroundings and actions. He was tall, lanky even, and his face maintained a scowl that was befitting of an untamed beast. Yet, the way his hands caressed the dewberries made him appear no more dangerous than an orchid.

Yahaba must’ve caught him in his natural habitat, where he could be as delicate as he wanted. Altogether, Yahaba found him quite attractive.

A lily of the valley.

He considered going over to introduce himself a number of times, each time negating himself with a different, more ridiculous reason why not to. By the time he convinced himself, however, the boy was gone.

\---

“He had really weird hair, too.” Yahaba was eating lunch with Watari; they had just finished fourth period, and Yahaba just had to talk about the mysterious flower boy. “It was all striped and bleached.” _And hot_ , Yahaba tacked on in his mind.

Watari didn’t look up from the meal he was scarfing down, so he replied with a food-garbled “Sounds like Kyoutani to me.”

Yahaba turned to Watari and grabbed his shoulders. “Wait, you know who this kid is?!”

“Jeez, calm down, lover boy,” Watari teased, wiping some of the soy sauce from his mouth. To his side, Yahaba was blushing furiously, although Watari was unaware. “Sounds like Kyoutani Kentarou. A second year, class one, I think. Why are you so curious about him? Excited to finally meet someone as keen on flowers as you are?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s it,” Yahaba stammered in response. “It’s weird to find another boy with a green thumb.” _And such good looks._

Watari shook his head. “I’ll never understand your obsession with plants. Do you want me to introduce you to him?”

Yahaba quickly shook his hands in front of himself. “N-No, it’s alright!” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll probably see him in the field again some time.”

Watari scoffed. “The field. I don’t know why you spend half your time there when you’re as good at volleyball as you are.”

It was hard for Yahaba to produce a verbal explanation. The flowers were, in a sense, a depiction of transformation. The plants enter the earth as lowly seeds, obeying the single command of the planter: grow. With proper care, those peasants could change their caste, emerging from the earth in ravishing blossoms.

In their newfound positions, these aristocrats now have the duty to reproduce; to take care of their species and ensure its survival, fulfilling a sort of _noblesse oblige._ No longer constantly tended to by the planter, they govern their plot of land with falling petals and pollen. To view this process over time is to glimpse the course of an empire.

But that’d probably sound weird to Watari, so Yahaba kept quiet.

“Whatever, dude.” Watari clapped Yahaba on the back of the shoulder. “Just don’t make it so that I can never talk to Kyoutani again, alright?”

“Oh, shut up,” Yahaba retorted, shrugging Watari’s hand off. “If anyone does that, it’ll be you.”

Watari was already walking away to his next class as he waved his hand. “Watch out for the birds and the bees when you’re roaming the wild plains!”

Yahaba’s cheeks quickly flushed a deep red.

While he was completely unaware, a seed had been planted deep within the recesses of his cerebral garden. It was lowly, yes. But perhaps with the help of pheromones and time, it would grow.

\---

When Yahaba reached the field, Kyoutani had not yet arrived. His patch of dewberries, however, was eager to have visitors. 

Looking at them up close, Yahaba couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp. Green berries had sprouted from their white flowers, which would soon ripen into a full purple. He noted that they were expertly cultivated, their stems trailing along the ground and putting forth even more roots.

_That boy did this?!_

“What the hell are you doing with my plants?!”

Yahaba turned his head towards the gruff voice. Unsurprisingly, it belonged to the tall boy with funny hair and a grimace. “K-Kyoutani!”

“And how the hell do you know my name?!”

“I-I was just admiring your dewberries!” Yahaba stuttered, waving his arms in front of himself. “Watari told me who you were! You don’t see those kind of plants often in this area, and they’re growing so--”

“Leave!” Kyoutani growled, now standing imposingly over Yahaba. His frown, Yahaba imagined, was enough to wilt a burgeoning plot of daisies. Yet, there was something else in the man’s gaze that Yahaba had a hard time identifying.

Loneliness? Longing?

The thought was quickly purged from his mind, however, as the boy let out a growl. “Jeez, I’m going, I’m going! Calm down…” Yahaba started to walk away before turning back and adding one more thing. “And learn how to take a compliment, asshole!”

\---

“Yahaba, why is Kyoutani no longer talking to me?” Watari asked in a rather monotone fashion.

“Watari, why are _you_ still talking to me,” Yahaba retorted, his mouth filled with ramen.

Watari frowned at Yahaba before patting him on the back. “I know you always screw up around your crushes, but jeez, he won’t even acknowledge me anymore.”

“I do n-not have a crush on that selfish, antagonistic ass of a human being!” Yahaba’s face was quickly heating up, though whether it was due to rage or embarrassment was unknown.

It wasn’t like Yahaba to blow up so easily, Watari knew that. But he also knew that Yahaba could easily get angry with someone he had feelings for, romantic or not. So it came as no surprise to Watari that Yahaba was angry at Kyoutani.

“Listen, Shigeru…” Watari started, scratching the top of his head. “Kyoutani’s a tough guy to warm up to… But I’ve known him for a while now, and once you get him to open up to you, he’s really a sweetheart.”

Yahaba gave a snort of derision. “Him? A sweetheart?”

_Sweet ass, maybe…_

_Holy shit, Yahaba. Did you seriously just think that?_

Watari nodded his head. “Total sap.”

“Too bad I won’t ever see it. After yesterday, I don’t think I will ever, _ever_ get him to open up to me.”

Watari sighed. “Jeez, what did you screw up so badly in the field that you think that’s true?”

“I was looking at a patch of plants he was taking care of and he freaked out.” Yahaba really couldn’t blame him, as he might’ve done the same exact thing had someone been messing with his flowers. 

“Oh no!” Watari proclaimed dramatically, putting the back of his hand to his forehead. “Whatever will you do?”

“Nothing!” Yahaba yelled back. A few people in the lunchroom gave him weird looks. “I won’t do anything,” he repeated, lowering his voice.

Watari smirked. “You mean you don’t want to tend to Kyoutani’s shrubbery?”

Yahaba spat out his milk.

\---

Yahaba didn’t see Kyoutani in the field for many days after that heated afternoon. He told himself he didn’t mind. Why did he have to bother with a temperamental prick, anyway?

But he had to admit, it felt a little bit empty to water his tulips alone.

In Yahaba’s mind, even a field filled with the most exotic flowers and the most lush grasses was empty without having others with which you could appreciate its beauty. Seeing the field in this state was perhaps more tragic than if it were barren.

Despite not seeing the boy, the dewberries continued to survive, although it looked like they hadn’t been watered since Kyoutani last came by. If they didn’t get any soon, the slowly reddening berries would wither away.

_Asshole. He hates me enough that he’d let his dewberries die?!_

Yahaba couldn’t let the plants die. It went against everything he stood for as a gardener. And so, with great apprehension and sighing, he spared a little bit of his time to make sure the patch of dewberries that Kyoutani was tending to didn’t die in his absence. 

He assured himself that he was in no way doing this for Kyoutani. He hated Kyoutani. Definitely. He was only doing it for the plants. For the dewberries. They’re just berries, after all. They don’t deserve to be mistreated.

It wasn’t for Kyoutani.

\---

“Look, it wasn’t a big deal!”

“Of course it was a big deal!” Watari responded. “I’m no plant fanatic, but that’s gotta mean something. You watered his damn plants when he didn’t show up!”

Yahaba was gruff. “And why the hell does that matter?!”

Watari teasingly wiped his eyes. “It means you care!”

“About the dewberries!”

“About Kyoutani!”

Yahaba groaned and let his head fall onto the table. “Just let it go, already,” he moaned into the laminate. 

“Aw, come on. This is the first time you’ve ever opened up to me about someone you like! How am I supposed to react?”

“By not constantly pestering me about it, for starters.” Yahaba reprimanded.

Watari slumped his shoulders and sighed. “Listen up. If you don’t want to pursue anything with Kyoutani, that’s fine.”

“Great. Thanks for finally listening to me, idiot.”

“I’ll set it all up for you, so you don’t have to do any work.”

“What?!”

“Don’t worry, Yahaba,” Watari pointed a thumb to himself. “We’ll fix your relationship with Kyoutani soon enough.”

“I’m not in a relationship with Kyoutani!”

\---

The unadulterated scent of flora quickly entered Yahaba’s nose as he arrived at the field once again. It was an aroma of serenity, yet it was also quite bold, challenging the ability of your nose to comprehend each individual flavor on the wind.

Yahaba took care to try and identify what he could--there were the azaleas and the dahlias, of course; his tulips, sitting near the other flowers, a hint of daisy, some pepperings of larkspur, and--

Wet dewberry?

He rushed to get deeper into the field before he saw a familiar boy, watering his patch of dewberries.

“Kyoutani?”

The boy lifted his head toward Yahaba, and his dull expression softened ever so slightly. “Oh. Hey, Yahaba.”

“Y-You’re back!” Yahaba managed. “I mean, I’m surprised to see you again.”

Kyoutani grunted and turned his head back to the task at hand. “I guess I couldn’t stay away from this place for too long.”

Yahaba sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. This field is beautiful.”

Kyoutani hummed in agreement, a deep thrum that built its way up his throat and wiggled out between his lips. He seemed surprised by the noise, but he quickly shook away any signs that he was taken aback by it. 

“… Watari told me you watered my dewberries while I was gone.”

Yahaba froze, terrified of his coming punishment, the price for civil disobedience. “Kyoutani, I can explain--”

“Thank you.”

_Thank you? He’s thanking me?_

“Y-You’re welcome?” Yahaba stuttered, confused by Kyoutani’s gratitude. 

“They probably would have died without that water,” Kyoutani continued, running his hand over the bristles of his bleached hair. “So thank you. It means a lot.”

Yahaba’s cheeks started to warm up, and he turned away to make sure Kyoutani didn’t notice. “Y-Yeah, no problem,” he stammered.

Kyoutani turned his attention back to the dewberries one more time, this time with a sense of finality, and Yahaba returned to his tulips. They were separated, yes, but neither of them could keep a smile from spreading on their lips as they tended to their plants.

The seed which had been planted in Yahaba’s mind had finally sprouted, and it wouldn’t be long before it began to bear fruits of its own. 

\---

“You talked to Kyoutani?!”

Yahaba was distraught, _betrayed_ by one of his best friends. Watari could only shrug in return, a look of indifference reflected in his rolled eyes. “He’s my friend, you know. It only makes sense that I’d talk to him.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to bring up the dewberries…” Yahaba muttered, staring down at his food. “That’s super weird.”

Watari smirked at his friend’s distress. “Since when have you cared about what Kyoutani thinks about you?” Yahaba opened his mouth in protest but quickly shut it with a frown. “Besides, you’re both pretty weird anyway. You both spend countless hours in that field; it’s not like watering plants is out of the usual.”

“Watering someone else’s plants is,” Yahaba retorted.

“Whatever, dude.” Watari turned back to the meal in front of him before adding on, with his mouth full, “Kyoutani told me your tulips looked nice.”

Yahaba immediately blushed, much to Watari’s enjoyment and to his own chagrin. 

“You are _so_ screwed,” Watari declared cheerfully, patting Yahaba on the shoulder. 

“Oh, shut up,” Yahaba responded, nudging Watari’s hand off his shoulder. He wasn’t about to admit that Watari was completely, unequivocally right in every way possible. That would mean admitting that he had feelings for Kyoutani. Which he didn’t. Obviously.

Watari stood up and brushed the crumbs off his pants. “Maybe I should just call him over right now, eh?”

Yahaba pulled him back into his seat just as soon as he had gotten up. “You will not.”

Watari frowned. “You need to get on it, pal. Kyoutani is a free agent. Anyone could snatch him up at _any_ moment.” He flicked Yahaba in the ear. “Maybe _I’ll_ just have to woo him to make you realize what you’re missing.”

“Asshole.”

\---

Yahaba couldn’t decide what he liked staring at the most; the rippling back muscles that bulged from his shirt as he bent over to water his plants, the adorable way his tongue stuck out a little when he was focusing on the dewberries, the sometimes too short shorts he wore that showed off his legs. He certainly had an array of things to pick from.

“You know, those tulips would grow better if you fertilized the soil.” Kyoutani stood, hands at his hips, with a look of concern on his face. Yahaba yelped in surprise. “Watering a plant will only do so much if the soil it’s being grown in doesn’t help along the way.”

“T-That’s--” _totally correct. How did he know I hadn’t fertilized yet?_ “How did you--”

“Your tulips haven’t bloomed for a while now, even though most of them seem to be quite healthy,” Kyoutani pointed out abruptly, feeling the stems and bulbs of the flowers. “The soil is probably lacking in phosphorus, which would help facilitate blooming.”

_Wow, he used bigger words than I thought he could._

“Well, what would you suggest, then?”

Kyoutani frowned. “Obviously a phosphorus-based fertilizer.”

“I know that!” Yahaba lashed back with a sharp tongue. “Got any more suggestions for me?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to have some nitrogen in it as well. That could help to strengthen the roots.”

Yahaba nodded in agreement, although even he wasn’t this knowledgeable about soil health for planting. He was impressed. “Thank you, Kyoutani.”

Kyoutani shrugged and turned away, hiding his blush from an unknowing Yahaba. “It wasn’t a problem. I j-just, like to see plants do well, you know?”

Yahaba hummed his assent. “I understand that.” He stood up and faced Kyoutani. “Mind if we go look at your dewberries?”

“That’s fine, I guess.” Kyoutani led Yahaba to his patch, where the dewberries were darkening by the day. Unsure of what else to do, he awkwardly motioned to the dewberries. “Well, here they are.”

“I know, Kyoutani,” Yahaba chuckled. “No need to point it out.”

This time Yahaba saw Kyoutani turn the tiniest bit red and move to rub the back of his neck. It was cute, to say the least. 

The sun continued to make its descent, just as the wind swept through the field, unhindered by hills, flying into them at full force. But it was a calm wind, a breeze perhaps. The flowers seemed to enjoy it as well, bending compliantly under the direction of the element. Both of them stared at the spectacle in silence, absorbing the beauty of it all.

Yahaba was the first one to break from his hypnosis, trying to push the conversation further. “So… uh, what do you enjoy doing in your free time, Kyoutani? Other than gardening, obviously.”

“I go to the animal shelter pretty often, I guess,” Kyoutani answered, rubbing his chin. “If I’m not taking care of some plants, I’m taking care of dogs.”

_Dogs and plants… Watari was right. He’s such a sap._

_An adorable sap._

“Do you have any dogs of your own?” Yahaba asked thoughtfully.

Kyoutani nodded and showed the tiniest hint of a smile. “A golden retriever. Her name is Tansy.”

Yahaba let out a full-blown laugh, clutching his chest. “You named your dog after a flower?”

“W-Well, she’s very yellow!” Kyoutani stammered, trying to defend himself. “And you like flowers too, I feel like you can’t make fun of me for this!” At this point, Yahaba decided that watching him get so flustered and hearing his deep voice try and defend himself at the same time was inexorably cute.

“No, I suppose I can’t,” Yahaba conceded, laughing. “You’ll have to bring her here sometime.”

Kyoutani seemed surprised by the request, his mouth opening a little. But it soon softened into a smile, and he nodded.

\---

“Whaaaat? He’s bringing his dog next time?!”

Yahaba pushed his bangs out of his eyes. “Well, I don’t know that it’ll be next time…”

“But it’s happening!” Watari sighed happily and looked toward the ceiling. “Finally, my little Shigeru is growing up and getting in actual relationships with people.” He sniffed and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

Yahaba shoved him off his chair. “I hate you.”

Watari didn’t even bother to get off the ground, as he was weighed down by a fit of hysterical laughter. It tugged at his eyelids and scrunched up his nose, taking over his entire being. Yahaba didn’t find the situation quite so humorous.

“You’re the worst. Why am I even friends with you,” Yahaba deadpanned.

“You love me,” Watari quipped, finally pulling himself back onto his chair. “Besides, if it weren’t for me, you and Kyoutani wouldn’t even be a thing right now!”

“We aren’t a thing!” Yahaba retorted. He rubbed his neck before continuing, softly, “At least, not yet…”

Watari closed his eyes and hummed. “Mm, so you wish you were a thing.”

“Don’t make me push you off the chair again.”

Watari put his hands up in defense. “Seriously though, when do you think it’ll happen? Do you think he’ll ask you out first,” he started, putting a grape in his mouth, “or will you cave in first?” He looked up in thought before adding on, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, “Ooh, which one do you want to happen?”

“You know Kyoutani,” Yahaba responded, “he may be menacing, but he’s not so assertive when it comes to starting things.” The other boy hummed in agreement. “Honestly, I’ll probably be the one to ask him out.”

“Jeez, what do you even talk about with him? When we talk, I have to coax every response out of him.”

“I don’t know. Anything, I guess?” Yahaba pushed a piece of fruit around on his tray. “It’s pretty much just plant stuff. And dogs.”

“Dogs?”

“Dogs. Kyoutani has one.”

Watari scoffed. “More like Kyoutani _is_ one.”

“Very funny,” Yahaba grumbled. He stuffed a grape into his mouth before waving his hand to change the subject. “Enough about my love life. How about we talk about _you_ for a change?”

“Pfft, I’m an open book.”

“Yeah? And when are you gonna ask that second year girl from class three out?”

Watari spat out his grape. “What?!”

\---

If a plant grows especially well, it will be fruitful enough to seed new plants. Yahaba’s love for Kyoutani seemed to have bloomed so well that it planted a seed in Kyoutani’s mind as well, quietly and unassumingly.

Arriving at the field, per usual, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Kyoutani had brought a companion: the golden retriever he had so aptly named Tansy. He saw why it made sense now; the dog was nearly as yellow as Kyoutani’s hair.

Kyoutani quickly noticed Yahaba’s arrival and waved. He turned to his faithful companion and told her, “Tansy, go say hi!”

With a cheerful yap, the dog bounded over to Yahaba, barreling into him and knocking him onto the ground. He was soon covered in slobber as Tansy said “Hi” in a decidedly _very_ salivary manner. “Ack! Kyoutani!” Yahaba whined, trying to stave off Tansy, “call her off of me!”

Kyoutani pretended to pause before grinning a devious grin. “Nah, you guys seem to be getting along well.”

Yahaba groaned before finally managing to stand up, Tansy whimpering from neglect. He wiped a bit of dog spit from his face and quickly shook it off his hand. “Gross.”

Kyoutani only laughed. “Yahaba, get over here. I’ve got something to show you.” He turned around and started walking towards the azaleas and the dahlias and, consequently, the dewberries. “And bring Tansy too! I know you don’t hate her!”

Yahaba glared at the retriever. “You better behave, missy.” He pointed a finger and Tansy barked. Yahaba hoped she was barking her assent.

Together they padded over to Kyoutani, who had made it to his patch of dewberries by then. “So, Kyoutani, what is it that you wanted to show me?”

Mouth full, Kyoutani held out his hand. “Give me your hand,” he commanded.

_Uh. Kyoutani?_

“Uh, okay…?” 

Suddenly, Kyoutani, opened his hand, and a few berries tumbled out of his palm and onto Yahaba’s.

Yahaba’s eyes widened. “They’re ripe?” he questioned excitedly.

“Mhmm. Tasty, too,” Kyoutani answered.

Yahaba raised his hand to his mouth and poured in the dewberries, sighing with contentedness as they reached his tongue. “Kyoutani, these are delicious. You’re a great gardener.”

Kyoutani stopped chewing his berries when he received the compliment. Slowly, he gulped and stuttered out a “T-Thank you.”

“Listen, Kyoutani--”

“Wait!” Kyoutani yelled suddenly before he slammed his hands onto Yahaba’s head, right on top of his eyes.

“Ow, what the hell, Kyoutani?!” Yahaba growled, grabbing onto Kyoutani’s nice, toned arms.

Kyoutani mumbled something inaudible before speaking to Yahaba again. “Close your eyes and wait here.”

Yahaba, unsure of what was up, decided to play along. “Fine. But next time, ask first before hitting me, asshole.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kyoutani muttered before walking off to who knows where. 

Yahaba sat down, eyes closed, and breathed in. Luckily, Tansy stuck by him, gladly allowing herself to be petted by Yahaba, thumping her tail in delight all the while. Yahaba put his head down towards the dog and whispered, “So what’s Kyoutani up to, huh?”

She barked twice in response, which Yahaba took to mean as ‘Don’t ask me. I’m a dog.’ Right. Dogs wouldn’t know what their owners were up to when they walked away.

He sighed and continued to pet Tansy before he heard footsteps approaching, Kyoutani’s feet compacting the verdant grasses. “A-Alright, you can open your eyes now.”

When he did, he was greeted by a blushing Kyoutani, who had a bouquet of freshly picked azaleas and dahlias clutched against his chest. “The hell I’m doing this for…” he started, rubbing his neck, “but no one has ever spent so much time with me in the fields before.” Yahaba’s mouth had started to open.

Kyoutani looked down at the ground and continued. “It’s weird. When I’m with you, I don’t mind just… talking, you know? We could talk about the most pointless, unappealing bullshit and I wouldn’t care as long as we were in this field, and we were together.” 

He took a long breath. “I guess, what I’m trying to say is--” he extended the flowers to Yahaba, “--will you go out with me?”

Yahaba’s mouth was fully wide now. But slowly, his lips curled into a smile. He turned to Tansy. “What should I say, girl?” She yipped and jumped, her tail wagging furiously now. He turned to Kyoutani and smiled. “Well, seeing as I was going to do this if you weren’t, it’s a complete yes.”

Kyoutani grinned before bear hugging Yahaba, who yelped at the sudden contact. He returned it in full, however, before leaning up to plant a soft kiss on Kyoutani’s lips. Kyoutani was taken by surprise, it would seem, as the tips of his ears turned a coral hue. But he too returned the favor and pressed his lips further against Yahaba’s. 

As if to call out naughty behavior, Tansy started growling. Kyoutani let out a laugh--probably the fullest one Yahaba had ever heard from him--and resorted to just holding Yahaba’s hand. “Better, Tansy?” A bark of approval.

The two of them sat down on the grass and watched the sun fall below the rolling hills. Hand in hand, they leaned their heads against each other, eating dewberries and shooting the breeze.


End file.
